BIOS Considerations to Boot a Client to the Network ("Netboot")
BIOS Considerations to Boot a Client to the Network ("Netboot") |
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BIOS Considerations to Boot a Client to the Network ("Netboot") |
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In order for your LinMin Server to service (provision or image) a Client System, it must boot to the network and make a PXE-boot request.
Boot sequences set in the BIOS apply to client systems for both provisioning and imaging.
Manual intervention to boot to the network:
The typical boot order of a system, as configured in the BIOS, is:
| 1. | ATAPI (CD-ROM/DVD Reader) |
| 2. | Hard Disk |
| 3. | Network |
If your systems are configured this way, you will need to press the "F12" function key (on most systems) when you power up the system in order to "boot to the network" (make a PXE boot request) so that your system can be provisioned or imaged by your LinMin Server.
Please note: not all systems use F12 to boot to the network, so consult your system's documentation if F12 does not network boot.
Automatic boot to the network:
To automate your environment and reduce the human "touch points" on systems, set your systems' BIOS instead to:
| 1. | Network |
| 2. | Hard Disk |
| 3. | Other device |
This way, each time your systems boot, they will be directed to the LinMin Server and then, based on what the system administrator set up, be:
| • | redirected to boot from their local hard drive, or |
| • | provisioned, or |
| • | imaged (backup or restore) |
Hardware-enabled Network Boot
Data centers typically have dedicated hardware to facilitate remote and/or automated power management functions, including KVM/IP (Keyboard-Video-Monitor over IP) and power management back-planes.
Upon a network boot:
| • | If the system has no OS installed, or has a damaged master boot record (MBR), and has no bootable CD/DVD in its reader, it can be provisioned, and when it reboots, it will boot from the recently populated hard drive. |
| • | MAC-Independent: |
| • | MAC-Specific: |
| • | Imaging |
If the system has an OS installed and you wish to re-purpose the system, during the boot process press the “F-12” key (or other “Boot from the Network” function key as displayed by the BIOS) and the system will:
| - | Display the Default Boot Menu if no MAC address-based profile was created. The user makes the selection, or the “Default” selection gets installed starting in 60 seconds if no manual selection is made. |
| - | Automatically get provisioned with the MAC address-based profile as specified by IT. |
| - | Have a disk snapshot (“backup”) initiated if so selected by IT using the LBMP GUI |
| - | Have a disk restore initiated if so selected by IT using the LBMP GUI. |
If you have a working system, IT can SSH into an individual system (or use a systems management tool or script to access multiple systems at once), delete the Master Boot Record and force a reboot which will then force the re-purposing of the system. This is potentially harmful if an error is made, as you will loose all contents of your hard disk(s), but it enables mass re-purposing without physical intervention on each system.
If your BIOS does not support the interactive “Boot from the Network” option, then change the BIOS settings to boot first to the Network, then to Hard Disk, and after the installation of the distro is complete, interrupt the reboot of the system and change the BIOS settings to CD-ROM/DVD, then Hard Disk, then Network. Alternatively, you can specify in the control file to “halt” instead of “reboot”, and decide when to power the system back up and change its BIOS settings.
BIOS settings and entry procedures are manufacturer specific. Refer to the client system's BIOS documentation to determine the correct procedures and settings.
